Mathews County Demographics

A map of Mathews County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	7,225	7,250	84.6%	85.0%
Black	825	658	9.7%	7.7%
Hispanic	228	197	2.7%	2.3%
Multiracial	151	332	1.8%	3.9%
Native American/Other	111	47	1.3%	0.6%
Asian	0	49	0.0%	0.6%

Mathews County, Virginia has an estimated population of 8,540, a less than 1% change from the 8,533 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 84.6% White, 9.7% Black, 2.7% Hispanic, 1.8% Multiracial, 1.3% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Mathews County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Mathews is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Virginia overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Mathews County, that probability was 27.0% in 2020 and 27.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Mathews County is ranked the 118th most populous county in Virginia, out of 133 counties. Mathews County was ranked the 118th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Mathews County's White Population

7,225 residents of Mathews County, or 84.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Mathews County is significantly higher than in Virginia overall, where 58.4% of the population is White. Mathews County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mathews County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Mathews County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 84.6%.

Mathews County is more White than neighboring York County (66.2% White), Gloucester County (82.5% White), Middlesex County (77.6% White), and Lancaster County (67.4% White). Mathews County is less White than neighboring Poquoson County (87.3% White).

Mathews County's Black Population

825 residents of Mathews County, or 9.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Mathews County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 18.3% of the population is Black. Mathews County ranks 83rd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mathews County's Black population has grown by an estimated 25.4%. Black residents' share of Mathews County's population has increased from 7.7% to 9.7%.

Mathews County is more Black than neighboring Gloucester County (8.1% Black), and Poquoson County (1.9% Black). Mathews County is less Black than neighboring York County (13% Black), Middlesex County (15.8% Black), and Lancaster County (25.5% Black).

Mathews County's Asian Population

0 residents of Mathews County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Mathews County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 6.9% of the population is Asian. Mathews County ranks 87th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mathews County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Mathews County's population has decreased from 0.6% to 0.0%.

Mathews County is less Asian than neighboring York County (5.8% Asian), Gloucester County (0.8% Asian), Poquoson County (1.7% Asian), Middlesex County (0.4% Asian), and Lancaster County (0.6% Asian).

Mathews County's Hispanic Population

228 residents of Mathews County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Mathews County is lower than in Virginia overall, where 11% of the population is Hispanic. Mathews County ranks 106th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mathews County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 15.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Mathews County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.7%.

Mathews County is more Hispanic than neighboring Lancaster County (1.8% Hispanic). Mathews County is less Hispanic than neighboring York County (7.8% Hispanic), Gloucester County (4.3% Hispanic), Poquoson County (4.2% Hispanic), and Middlesex County (3.2% Hispanic).

Mathews County's Native American/Other Population

111 residents of Mathews County, or 1.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Mathews County is comparable to the share in Virginia overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Mathews County ranks 87th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mathews County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 136.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Mathews County's population has increased from 0.6% to 1.3%.

Mathews County is more Native American/Other than neighboring York County (1.1% Native American/Other), Gloucester County (0.2% Native American/Other), Poquoson County (0.7% Native American/Other), Middlesex County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Lancaster County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Mathews County's Multiracial Population

151 residents of Mathews County, or 1.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Mathews County is slightly lower than in Virginia overall, where 4.7% of the population is Multiracial. Mathews County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 133 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mathews County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 54.5%. Multiracial residents' share of Mathews County's population has decreased from 3.9% to 1.8%.

Mathews County is less Multiracial than neighboring York County (6% Multiracial), Gloucester County (4.1% Multiracial), Poquoson County (4.2% Multiracial), Middlesex County (2.8% Multiracial), and Lancaster County (4.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.